What is this fresh hell? Menopause

Inner youre right outer youre wrong

I sympathise - I've had hidradenitis suppurative since I was 9 and it is so painful. I haven't had a flare since perimenopause though, so maybe the hormone change is helping matters.

Its my birthday at the weekend and I am off to a very very fancy hotel and spa.

This is probably the cosmic reason why it's manifested now. I can hardly make a plan involving travel and being somewhere else that (peri?) menopause can't scupper. Supposed to be going somewhere today...still not a lot of faith that something won't come up between now and tomorrow morning.

In terms of pores and so on becoming clogged, progesterone metabolism can have something to do with it. This seems to be a factor for me.

Oh no OP I’m so sorry about your boil!

I had infected piles when I was pregnant and my mum told everyone and I mean EVERYONE.

What the everliving fuckery.. !?! 🫢

They aren’t menopause related as I had a Bartholins cyst at 19 after becoming sexually active. I was terrified it was cancer or something serious as I was young and naive and the internet wasn’t an easy to access thing. It’s painful so you have my sympathies.

Wait until your labia minora disappear. THAT'LL really fuck with your head.

I was scrabbling round in my nether regions one morning, thinking, 'where the fuck are they?', feeling like I'd gone insane. Thank god for Google.

I've had something similar a couple of times, but it was just a hard pea sized cyst that wasn't painful. I imagine you have a blocked pore or ingrown hair that has become infected. Mine was more sort of 'inside' the labia, so i guessed it was a blocked pore from one of the glands that keeps things lubricated. I took a hot shower and squeezed on it hard until it was gone, i've heard of them becoming abcesses so i gritted my teeth and got that thing gone.

I'm so sorry that yours is so painful. You need to check if the area is hot, or the glands in your groin come up - it could become a serious infection. Check in with your GP immediately, or call 111 if you get further symptoms.

This is far more serious than 'just a painfull spot', please get advice.

ooooh something I forgot to say is, I bought one of those eye masks you can heat up in the microwave (I think they have rice in them) and sat on it for a while- that was much easier than having to stay in the bath for ages or use a wet hot compress etc

I 'self-operated' on myself for one of these some years back. Not recommended. .

It could be an infected sebaceous cyst rather than a boil - I had one last year and it was soooo painful. Went to the surgery and saw the practice nurse who prescribed antibiotics (large, strong ones!), and it burst the next day. Such a relief! Once it has burst, keep it very clean and use gauze to mop up any weeping blood/pus.

That's really good to know. Thank you

I've had boils a few times. As well a hot compresses, I would also suggest going to GP/walk-in. The one time I didn't take antibiotics for boils, I developed double pneumonia. I think you really need to make sure the infection is out of your system.

You must seek medical advice about this. It is possibly a Bartholin cyst, they are not uncommon and nothing to do with menopause, easily dealt with. It could be an infection in the hair follicle but don't leave it.

Mothers are fond of putting everything down to 'the change', take no notice but do have the swelling looked at pronto.

Just to say, if you are sitting in a bath, don't just add salt to the water as a bath will really dissipate it. Instead get in and grab your pack/container or Saxa Salt (we are not wasting the good Maldon Salt on this) and pour it onto and around the affected area, this is a much more efficient way of doing it.

@faithfultoGeorgeMichael I had one of these on Monday, I popped it in the bath and it released a small hard ball with lots of blood

I wanted to keep the ball in a jar but my family weren’t keen 😂

They also don't tell you when it will end.

Age: 62
Gender: Female
Identifies as: Pissed Off. Very Pissed Off.

I once got this after a walking holiday. Hurt like hell! Try applying a hot flannel every half hour as long as you can. This and a hot bath helped allow mine to pop the next day and the relief was instant.

bartholins cyst

I had one of these type of cyst and the nurse thought it was due to me cycling. I was told hot compresses and it went away fairly quickly - couple of days.

if its a boil though wouldn't it be much bigger? or has it become infected?

Sounds like a Bartholin's cyst, common in pregnancy not just menopause.

Could be a bartholins cyst which needs urgent medical treatment

Urgh agree they are not down to menopause. Had one about 4 weeks ago and have had another 3 over the last 25 years (they're so bloody painful I can remember each one!). I can't sit down, walk, drive, or even sleep comfortably due to the weight ofthe duvet with them.

Couple of them I squeezed - was SO painful but immediate relief. The last one just appeared overnight and then kept swelling up and was huge, I went to see GP and it says 2-3cm in my medical records. They gave me antibiotics and it took a few days to fo down but there is still a pea sized hard bit (which i am leaving well alone!). GP was very insistent to go back immediately if it didn't go down or I started to feel unwell. As its almost impossible to see a GP at my doctors and it was the third day I'd tried for an emergency appointment , I'm assuming they were taking it seriously. GP said Bartholins cyst. Was hideous at the time, hope you improve soon and see if you can get antibiotics before Saturday.

This is good advice.

Hi, OP - I'm the survivor of two bartolin's abscesses (which they become once the cyst is infected, sounds like yours is given the pain you are in). I have advice for you!

1. To determine whether that's likely what you've got, a minor labial cyst will be the size of a pea and could be anywhere inside or outside your vulval lips. Bartolin's abscess will be more like a tangerine, possibly larger, and very definitely on the inside, over to one side.
2. You need an urgent gynae referral. Either via your GP or go to urgent care, but do it today.
3. Do not be fobbed off with antibiotics. They won't work. The only way to fix this is to have it surgically resolved. When I had mine, they were treated as urgent. I got surgery the day after the referral.
4. Good news! The recovery is (or was, for me) straightforward, both times. The pain was gone from the moment I came round.
5. in the meantime, you might find some relief lying on your side. I did with my first one, not with my second.

If you're sure it's a bartolin's, you have my deepest sympathy. It is hands down the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Anyone who is telling you to just suck it up has clearly never had one, because they are utterly excruciating.

Let me know if you have any questions!